New Li+ ion conducting solid electrolytes based on the LISICON structure.

PhD ThesisThree LISICON-based systems, Li3PO4-Li4GeO4, Li2MoO4-Li4GeO4 and Li2WO4-Li4GeO4, have been systematically investigated. Details of the phase behaviour, crystal structure and defect structure have been studied by powder X-ray and neutron diffraction and solid-state NMR, reverse Monte Carlo (RMC) modelling of neutron total scattering data and molecular dynamics simulations. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements have been used to characterise the electrical properties. In the Li3PO4-Li4GeO4 system, a solid solution Li3+xGexPl-xO4, isostructural with the end member γ-Li3PO4 is found in the compositional range 0.00 ≤ x ≤ 0.90. Two main types of defect are identified and clustering of these defects is proposed. Conductivity measurements show the x = 0.75 composition exhibits the best total conductivity (σ250°C = ~ 1.8 x 10-2 S cm-1) with a low activation energy of 0.42 eV. In the Li4-2xGe1-xMoxO4 system, compositions in the range 0.1 ≤ x ≤ 0.5, exhibit LISICON-type structures. Both the β and γ phase LISICON type polymorphs are observed in this system, the relative amounts of which vary with temperature. In this system, the highest conductivity (σ250°C = ~ 5.0 x 10-3 S cm-1) is obtained in the x = 0.2 composition with an activation energy of 0.67 eV. In the Li2WO4-Li4GeO4 system, the solid solution only extends between 0.10 ≤ x ≤ 0.25. Low activation energy and high electric conductivity are observed throughout this system. The highest elevated temperature conductivity values are seen in the x = 0.15 composition (σ250°C = ~ 3.12 x 10-2 S cm-1). Molecular dynamics simulations suggest an order of magnitude higher conductivity values could be achieved through reduction of grain boundary resistances

A new species of the Pholcus phungiformes species group (Araneae, Pholcidae) from Liaoning, China, with identification keys to four closely related species

A new species of pholcid spiders, Pholcus fengmeii Zhang, He & Yao, sp. nov. (♂♀), is described from Liaoning Province, China. The new species belongs to the speciose phungiformes species group. Taxonomic keys to four closely related species are provided

Gender semiology in folklore traditions: Russia, China and Adygea

The article presents an analytical analysis of the linguosemiotic features of the female portrait in the folklore fund of the linguocultures of Russia, the North Caucasus and China in the aspect of the intergender dichotomy "male-female" as the implementation of the policy of "soft power" of the ethnos to preserve its vitality. Hypothesis: The dichotomy of masculinity and femininity in traditional culture is presented as the result of the interaction of ethno-cultural strategies of the ancestral cult, in which the role of a woman is defined as the keeper of the knowledge of the people with the competencies of a housewife who needs help and care from a man. The relevance of the study is due to the growing research interest in the vitality of traditional cultures, which continue to influence the lives of modern women. Chinese, Adyghe and Russian folklore for the first time becomes the object of comparative analysis of the linguosemiotic characteristics of the image of femininity in the form of "feminine" folkloratives identified for the first time. The methodology uses a linguosemiotic approach and the theory of complex metagraphs in modeling the speech-behavioral gender matrix of women through the prism of folklore. The results show that folklore is a reproducible mechanism of "soft power" of gender regulation in the ethno-cultural practice of folk art

High hydrostatic pressure harnesses the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites via the regulation of polyketide synthesis genes of hadal sediment-derived fungi

Deep-sea fungi have evolved extreme environmental adaptation and possess huge biosynthetic potential of bioactive compounds. However, not much is known about the biosynthesis and regulation of secondary metabolites of deep-sea fungi under extreme environments. Here, we presented the isolation of 15 individual fungal strains from the sediments of the Mariana Trench, which were identified by internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence analysis as belonging to 8 different fungal species. High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) assays were performed to identify the piezo-tolerance of the hadal fungi. Among these fungi, Aspergillus sydowii SYX6 was selected as the representative due to the excellent tolerance of HHP and biosynthetic potential of antimicrobial compounds. Vegetative growth and sporulation of A. sydowii SYX6 were affected by HHP. Natural product analysis with different pressure conditions was also performed. Based on bioactivity-guided fractionation, diorcinol was purified and characterized as the bioactive compound, showing significant antimicrobial and antitumor activity. The core functional gene associated with the biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) of diorcinol was identified in A. sydowii SYX6, named as AspksD. The expression of AspksD was apparently regulated by the HHP treatment, correlated with the regulation of diorcinol production. Based on the effect of the HHP tested here, high pressure affected the fungal development and metabolite production, as well as the expression level of biosynthetic genes which revealed the adaptive relationship between the metabolic pathway and the high-pressure environment at the molecular level

Liposomal Packaging Generates Wnt Protein with In Vivo Biological Activity

Wnt signals exercise strong cell-biological and regenerative effects of considerable therapeutic value. There are, however, no specific Wnt agonists and no method for in vivo delivery of purified Wnt proteins. Wnts contain lipid adducts that are required for activity and we exploited this lipophilicity by packaging purified Wnt3a protein into lipid vesicles. Rather than being encapsulated, Wnts are tethered to the liposomal surface, where they enhance and sustain Wnt signaling in vitro. Molecules that effectively antagonize soluble Wnt3a protein but are ineffective against the Wnt3a signal presented by a cell in a paracrine or autocrine manner are also unable to block liposomal Wnt3a activity, suggesting that liposomal packaging mimics the biological state of active Wnts. When delivered subcutaneously, Wnt3a liposomes induce hair follicle neogenesis, demonstrating their robust biological activity in a regenerative context

Analysis of the variations in the strength and position of stratospheric sudden warming in the past three decades

The authors investigate the statistical features of variations in the strength and position of stratospheric sudden warming (SSW) in the Northern Hemisphere based on ERA-Interim data from 1979 to 2016. It is found that there are 55 SSW events in the past 38 years (average: 1.4 times per year), including 33 major SSW events and 22 minor SSW events. The events mainly occur in February. The variations of the maximum meridional gradient of the zonal mean temperature of the SSW events show increasing trends from 1979 to 1983 and from 1998 to 2011, and decreasing trends from 1984 to 1997 and from 2012 to 2016. However, the linear trend of the variations in the past three decades shows a negative trend. Meanwhile, the strength and duration of major SSW events show similar features. Some SSW events occur at nearly the same time at different levels from 100 hPa to 10 hPa, while others first occur at 10 hPa and then the signal propagates downwards to lower levels. A very interesting phenomenon is that the maximum temperature centers of these 55 SSW events are mainly located over the Eurasian continent between 30°E and 120°E. This may be related to a polar vortex shifting to the Eurasian continent in the past three decades

A new species of the spider genus Khorata Huber, 2005 (Araneae, Pholcidae), with a list of Khorata species from Vietnam

The genus Khorata Huber, 2005 contains 51 species. It is distributed in the Indo-Malayan Region. Nine species have been recorded from Vietnam.Khorata ninhbinh sp. nov. is described as a new species from Vietnam. In addition, a list of all Khorata species from Vietnam is also provided

Playing the game of real estate production : how institutional environment matters

published_or_final_versionSociologyDoctoralDoctor of Philosoph